The Leather Boys (novel)

Friends through their involvement in a motorcycle gang, Dick supports his ailing grandmother with money from their thefts, and Reggie is looking to escape his unhappy marriage. They are "leather boys", working-class London teens with an affinity for motorcycles and leather jackets. Reggie leaves his unfaithful wife Dot and moves in with Dick, and the men soon realize they are more than just friends. == Development and publication ==

The novel was commissioned by the publisher Anthony Blond, Freeman's literary agent, who wanted a story about a "Romeo and Romeo in the South London suburbs". The result was a story of a gay relationship between two young working-class men, one married and the other a biker. It is explicit about the sexual relationship between Reggie and Dick, and about the possibility that Dot is pregnant by another man. It also portrays their gang as a criminal network, and ends with a botched robbery. first edition cover, with the pseudonym Eliot George The Leather Boys was originally published by Anthony Blond in 1961 under the pseudonym of Eliot George because of its controversial themes. == Adaptation ==

The novel was adapted into the 1964 British drama film The Leather Boys, for which Freeman wrote the screenplay and was credited with her real name. == Reception and impact ==

In his introduction to the Valancourt edition, Arditti argued that the novel and film "played a vital part in liberalising British attitudes towards homosexuality." == References ==